Gear casing



Jan. 1, 1952 GEAR CASING Filed Dec. 13, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet l v ,/r ,YYi Il l y I 1 u c E56" B. J. MERKLE 2,581,123

' 4 sheetssheet 2 B. J. MERKLE GEAR CASING Jan. 1, 1952 Filed Dec. l5,1946 B. J. MERKLE Jan. l, E952 GEAR CASING 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec.13, 1946 B. J. MERKLE GEAR CASING Jan. 1, i952 4 sheets-sheet 4 FiledDec. l5, 1946 Patented Jan. l, 1952 i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE2,581,123 l GEAR CASING Bernard J. Merkle,'-Chicago, Ill. ApplicationDecember 13, 1946, Serial No. 716,116

(Cl. T4- 606) 2 Claims. 1

This invention relates in general to a rotating mechanism for displays,platforms, singers, and the like, but is more particularly described asa beacon or antenna rotator by which a radio antenna is set and changedin various positions by rotating it as desired in one direction or ineither direction.

An important object of the invention is to provide an improved reductiondrive for positively rotating a movable support in either direction andholding it rmly in any set position.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved and compactstructure for an antenna rotator in which a suitable chamber is providedin the base for containing lubricant.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improvedweather and dirt seal for an upright rotating stand support which isnormally exposed to the weather and to other insulations in which it issubject to dirt, grit, and other foreign material.

Other objects of the invention will appear in the specification and willbe apparent from the accompanying drawings in which,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an antenna rotator in accordance withthis invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the rotator shown in Fig. 1 with theaddition of a remote indicating mechanism; f

Fig. 3 is a partial sectional view as taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;Fig. 4 is a sectional view showing the driving mechanism; Fig. 5 is asectional elevational view showing an antenna rotator in'accordance withthis invention as applied to a building structure and mechanicallyoperated from a position within the lower portion of the building; Fig.6 is a detail of the house operating mechanism; and Fig. '7 is asectional detail of the driving mechanism.

In an antenna rotating and positioning device, a comparatively heavycoil or coils are mounted for rotation in a horizontal plane whichrequires a comparatively heavy or stable supporting mechanism. As theantenna is rotated to any desired angular position, it is desirable tohold it firmly in any particular selected position, and also for pickingup different stations, it is preferable that the antenna may be operatedpositively in either direction in order to bring it more quickly toregister with the station or reception desired.

The present invention provides a rotatable mechanism which may be motordriven in either irectionfor supporting and rotating display stands, andalso for rotating a stage forV actors,

singers, and the like. It is particularly desirable for positioningaeroplane antennae and as an aeroplane beacon since the main supportingpost is hollow providing an unobstructed passage through the mechanismitself to a suitable source of current supply or for suitable electricalconnections.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, a supporting base I0has a central opening with an upwardly extending hub II surrounded by anoutward upwardly extending outer wall I2. A t the bottom of the base areoutwardly extending feet I 3 having outer perforations I4 by means ofwhich it may be attached to a suitable support.

A hollow shaft I5 is mounted in upright positiorr within the base and issuitably supported at its lower end by means of av shoulder I6 whichbears upon a ball bearing I "I, the lower end of the bearing beingsupported upon a shoulder I8 within the base. This end of the shaft andbase are also suitably sealed by means of a seal I9 surrounding thelower end of the shaft and held in place within the'base by a lowershoulder 20 at the bottom of the central opening of the base.Surrounding the shaft and preferably just above the ball bearing I1, isa roller bearing comprising a plurality of rollers 2I disposed betweenthe inner hub II and the adjacent surface of the shaft, the rollersbeing supported at their lower ends by a shoulder 22 at the base of thehub portion.

With this construction, the shaft is firmly seated at the bottom of thebase and it is supported in upright position for both the end thrust androtative movement.

At the top of the base is a cover 23 with an inner ange 24 adapting itto seat at the inside of the wall I2 with fastening bolts 25 extendingthrough the edge of the cover and into the upper edge of the wall I2. Atthe central portion of the cover is anopening which lits loosely aroundthe shaft with an upwardly extending hub portion 26. In the upper edgeof this hub portion is a circular ring seat 27 forming an oil groove inwhich a pad 28 of `fibrous material is located, the uppery end of thepad or portions 29 thereof being inclined downwardly against the shaftfor lubricating it. Within the hub portion 26 and supported by ashoulder 30 at the bottom thereof are upper bearing rollers 3| which arealso lubricated by the lubricating portions 29.

Overlying and protecting the upper bearing hub and the shaft oilingmeans is a cap 32 which has an outer downwardly extending flange 33 forcovering and partially enclosing the hub portion 26.

This cap 32 may be frictionally attached to the shaft by an interposedgasket 34 of rubber or rubber-like material which holds the cap tightlyin place and also prevents water or other materials from coming incontact with the bearing rollers 3l.

With this construction, the shaft i5 is firmly supported in uprightposition by space bearings at the top and bottom of the base, thusproviding a close coupled stable support.

At the upper end of the hollow shaft i5 is an antenna or platformsupport 35 comprising a central hub 36 keyed or otherwise secured to theend of the shaft and having radiating arms 3l to which parallel supports38 of an antenna or other supported means are secured.

Mounted on the shaft isbetween the 'upper'` and lower bearings is a wormgear 4B having-a hub 4i keyed to the shaft and with afrelativelydownwardly and outwardly rounded connecting portion 42 between the huband the gear. The gear is of larger diameter than the inner hub ll ofthe base and the rounded portion '42 extends downwardly and outwardlyover the top of the hub Il in close proximity thereto.

Thus the shaft is located below the top of the hub Il so that acomparatively small amount of lubrication may be placed within the basesurrounding the hub into which the shaft 44 and the lower edge of thegear 40 will dip causing an eiiicient lubrication of the drivingconnection at all times and carrying sufficient lubrication upward forthe bearings 2i and il.

At one side of the base, the outer wall l2 is formed with an outwardextension 43 for seat ing a transverse worm shaft 114 at the peripheryof the gear 4B and in meshing contact therewith. At the end of the shaft44 are suitable bearings held in place by a flange member 49 extendinginto a suitable recess in the base i2 surrounding the shaft and theflange thereof projecting outwardly therefrom, and held in place byscrews 52 inserted into the adjacent wall of the base. At the end ofthis shaft is a driving notch 53 by which the shaft may be turned.

As shown more clearly in Figs. 1 4and 4, a driving motor 54 may beattached at each end of the shaft by means of a key 55 inserted into thenotch 53 and each motor may be'secured to one of the flanges 49 by meansof an enclosing casing 56. The casing has an outwardly extending flange5'! through which fastening screws 58 are inserted into the outer sideof the flange. Instead of housing motors at the outer ends of the shaft44, a

single driving motor may ,be mounted upon a support at the outside ofthe wall extension d3 as shown more clearly in l by providing outwardlyflattened extensions '5G having threaded perforations 6l at the endsthereof for attaching a motor base thereto. These projections alsoprovide a support at the top for an insulating contact terminal 62having contact terminals 63 for providing separate connections to theopposite driving motors 54.

At the opposite side of the base, it may also be provided withextensions S4 which provide aligned outer iiat surfaces S5 to which adriving vmotor may be attached. The driving motors mounted upon theseflattened portions 6a or 65 may be connected to theshaft 44 by a trainof gears (not shown) in any wellknown manner.

Instead of having a driving motor 54 connected to each end of the shaft,the shaft maybe turned continuously in one direction by onefmotoruntil.the 'antenna is lin the properV location; Lor the shaft may be drivenby a motor in one direction and returned by a suitable spring in theother direction; or it may be turned in one direction by a motor androtated in the other direction by means of a cable extending around theshaft and either actuated manually or by means of a weight. Theprovision of a motor at each end is more satisfactory since the verticalshaft l5 may be rotated in either direction by one of the two motors,each operating always in the same direction. When one is operated, therotor of the other motor is rotated oppositely without drag oropposition. In order to register the relative position of the shaft i5,usually at some remote point. a mechanical connection may be made withthe shaft l5, but usually this is not convenient. As seen in Fig. 2, anelectrical recording means maybe provided which comprises an electricalresistance coil 66 attached to the under side of the cover and insulatedtherefrom by any suitable insulation 51 having a conductor t8 leadingtherefrom to a battery B9. Engaging the edge of the coil is an insulatedcontact 'lil carried by an arm 1i secured to the shaft i5 and rotatabletherewith, the contact being connected by a conductor 'l2 with oneterminal 13 of an electrical meter device 14 having another contact 15connected by a conductor 'i6 with the other side of the battery 69. Theoperation of this metering device is such that as the shaft I5 isturned, the resistance of the coil e5 is so varied in the device 14,that an indicator hand l1 is moved over the face of the device withrespect to a complete circular graduation corresponding to 360.

With this arrangement, the rotation of the shaft i5 in either directionis effected by energizing one or the other of the motors 54 and as theshaft is rotated to any particular position, the indicating device i4will show the changed position of the shaft and of the antenna carriedthereby, corresponding to the action of the motor. If it is desired toset the antenna at any particular angle, this may be accomplished bywatching the device 'I4 and energizing either one or the other of themotors to bring the shaft l5 to the desired position.

Although this rotatable support is particularly adapted for a rotatableantenna, it may also be used for various types of rotating stands orsupports. It may be connected for continuous movement in one vdirectionand for movement in opposite directions depending upon the number ofmotors and the way they are connected.

Instead of the indicator 14, a plurality of lights located at intervalsaround a circle may be lighted by corresponding connected contactssubstituted for the resistance 6E to show the position of the antenna.

Instead of rotating the antenna by means of a motor or motors located atthe ends of the worm shaft 44 and having a remote electrical indicatorfor showing the angular position of the antenna support at all times, amechanical construction may be employed extending down wardly through abuilding or connectable at the outside of a building as shown moreclearly in Fig. 5. A building structure is represented having upper andlower stories, a roof and a `tower 8l upon which the antennae rotator ofthis invention may be mounted. It is desirable to change the angularmovement of the antennae about ya vertical axis from any point such asthe lower floor of the building, rand for this purpose. a drive shaftportion 82 having 'connected flexible shaft `portions 83 tov extendaroundsome of the angular corners of the house is mounted in brackets 84secured to the house and tower structures, the upper end terminatingadjacent the worm drive shaft 44 and the lower end being located near aconvenient place for operating the antenna rotator. At the upper end ofthis driving shaft means is an angular shaft connector 85 which may beof the bevel gear type connecting the shafting through an attachmentplate 86 to the end of the worm gear shaft 44.

At the bottom of the shafting is a similar angular shaft connector 81with a shaft section 38 extending therefrom through the wall of thebuilding and having an operating crank 89 at the inside thereof.

In order to show the angular position ,of the antenna, a worm pinion 90may be mounted upon the shaft 88 near the crank having the same gearpitch as that of the driving worm shaft 44 of the antennaso that bymounting a worm gear 9i in engagement with the pinion 99, it will havethe same rotation as the worm gear 40 and the connected shaft I5 of theantenna rotator. A pointer 92 may then be attached to the shaft of theworm gear 9! which is rotatable over a dial 93 thus indicating theposition of the antenna, or any other support which is carried and movedby the rotator.

With this construction, the rotator may be positively operated in eitherdirection entirely by mechanical means, the position of the remoterotator being indicated also by mechanical means adjacent the place ofoperation. Any combination of the electrical driving motors, theelectrical indicating means, and the mechanical driving and indicatingmeans may also be employed depending upon the arrangement preferred bythe operator of the antenna.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been thus particularlydescribed, they should be regarded by way of example and not as alimitation, as various changes in the construction, combination, andarrangement of the parts may be made without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. The combination with a supporting base, of a vertical shaft having asupport at the upper end thereof, bearing means within the base forengaging the lower end of the shaft, means within the base and engagingthe shaft above said bearing, means for rotating it in oppositedirections, the base comprising an outer upwardly extending Wall, acoverl for theY base surrounding the shaft and engaging the upper end ofthe wall, the cover having an upwardly extending hub portion with aring-shaped recess fili) extending downwardly from the upper edge of thehub, roller spindle bearings within the hub and surrounding the shaft,the lower end of the hub portion having an inward shoulder to supportthe spindle bearings and lubricating means located in said recess andincluding lubricating pad portions which extend from the recess incontact with the shaft for lubricating the roller spindle bearings.

2. The combination with a rotatable vertical shaft having supportingmeans at its upper end, of a stationary base in which the lower end ofthe shaft is rotatably mounted, the base having an outer wall forming aninner lubricating recess, a cover surrounding the shaft and engaging theupper end of the wall, driving means engaging the shaft between thelower mounting of the shaft and the cover, bearing means comprising ashoulder in the cover and vertical spindle bearings supported by theshoulders and engaging the shaft, lubricating means in the top of thecover including a pad engaging the shaft for lubricating the bearingspindles, and a cap secured to the shaft having a flange extendingoutwardly and downwardly over the said lubricating means of the coverfor protecting it from the weather and the atmosphere.

BERNARD J. MERKLE.

EEFEREN CES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 335,840 Pessano Feb. 9, 1886397,716 Hart Feb. l2, 1889 1,051,619 Mustin Jan. 28, 1913 1,124,116Edwards Jan. 5, 1915 1,351,485 Moon Aug. 31, 1920 1,410,285 Dillon Mar.21, 1922 1,910,028 McElroy et al May 23,v 1933 1,975,008 Kingsbury Sept.25, 1934 1,992,818 Else Feb. 26, 1935 2,027,613 Pierce, Jr. Jan. 14,1936 2,038,731 Gunderson Apr. 28, 1936 2,114,982 Jackson Apr. 19, 19382,284,446 Powers May 26, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date243,041 Great Britain Nov. 18, 1925 31,593 France Dec. 2.9, 1926 OTHERREFERENCES Potter, C. Q. The Radio Amateurs Journal, December 1945,pages '7-12.

